On the other side of the spread was a small table and pillows set out to sit on. No chairs, but then the table itself were low to the ground. There were people standing at the entrance with platters of food, which smelled divine.
Ryder walked over to me and extended his hand. I swallowed past the fear of touching him, and accepted it. His warmth flooded through me, and I did my best to stifle the sliver of desire his touch always sent through me. Once I was standing, he walked us across the small distance, and around the pool where he seated me on a pillow.
He probably had enough pillows to give one to every human back home.
“Serve us,” he said loud enough for those by the door to hear. They rushed into motion before the first word was ordered.
Some kind of fruit was placed before us, which almost looked like strawberries, only it was twice the size of normal ones.
“Hybrids,” Ryder said after a moment passed in which I stared at the berries.
“Hybrid strawberries?”
“We brought fruit back after our first trip to Washington. We purchased seeds, and brought them back to plant. Faery soil is unpolluted like yours. They came up like this, and the juice and taste are far superior to the fruit I tasted there.”
I winced when he had said which state I was from. I missed home already. I chewed my bottom lip and glanced up to catch him staring at me. This had been a stupid idea. I should have just gone to bed and stayed there.
“Here,” he said and held one up. I moved my hand to take it from him, but he held it away.
“What the hell?”
“Let me feed you,” he grumbled.
“I’m pregnant, not disabled, Fairy!” I sputtered.
“I know that!”
“Then why the hell can’t I feed myself!?” I shouted.
“Because, I’m trying to be romantic!” he growled and scowled.
“Oh,” I whispered, shocked as I backed up an inch. “Why?”
“Does it matter why?” he grouched.
“No, I guess not.”
What.
The.
Hell!?
I opened my mouth and he held the berry up carefully. He allowed me to move my mouth to take it, but he refused to let me feed myself throughout the entire meal. When we were done eating, he smiled like a naughty child and stood, up pulling me with him.
“Come with me,” he said and walked me to the edge of the pool.
“I don’t have a swimsuit,” I said, eyeing him warily. It was official, Ryder was on drugs.
Before I could voice another complaint, he had me dressed in an ice blue bikini and had dragged me into and under the water with him. Music blared to life from somewhere unseen as my head popped back above the watery surface.
The Fray’s Never Say Never was playing softly, but loud enough that we could hear it above the small waterfall feeding the pool. I looked around in wonder as small flames leapt from the flowers all around us. We had enough space between us and them that our hair was safe.
I gasped as Ryder grabbed my waist beneath the water and pulled me to him. I placed my hands on his naked shoulders. He’d changed at the same time he’d changed my clothes. Ryder in a suit was disarming. Ryder half naked and wet was devastating.
“What do you think?” he asked, his eyes guarded.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered breathlessly. It was. It was beyond anything, anyone had ever done for me, or probably would ever do for me again.
“Good, can I undress you now?” he asked with a smirk lighting his eyes.
I shook my head, and splashed him and turned to move away from him. As if. He didn’t let me get more than a foot from him, before he took me beneath the water with him. I fought, but his arms calmed me and before I could even grasp what he was doing, my entire body jerked with desire as his lips landed on mine, and he fed me air as he kissed me softly.
When we both came up and broke the surface of the water, he laughed. “Shit, this is actually fun.”
“What is?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on him as I shook the water and removed the hair that was plastered to my face away.
“Playing with you,” he whispered.
“Is that what we are doing, Ryder; playing?” I asked, feeling tears burn in my throat.
“I’d rather we were fucking,” he replied in a huskiness that sent heat shooting to places it shouldn’t be.
“What exactly are we doing? You’ve done what you needed to; you got me pregnant. I don’t understand what else you want from me,” I whispered as my eyes searched his.
“You are mine, Synthia. I’ve always told you that, never have I danced around what it is I want from you. I’ve kept many secrets for good reason, until it was the right time to reveal them. I won’t make any excuses for what I have done, or how I got you here, Pet. I’m glad you are here with me, and I’m happy that you are the Blood Heir. It makes it easy for me to keep you.” A small smile played on his mouth.
“Is that all you want? Because if I’m just another—”